As our name indicates, EcoSense Sustainable Landscapes is dedicated to designing and installing resilient landscapes. Our designs consider the realities of climate change - using rainwater harvesting and native/arid-adapted plants - to restore disturbed soils and create beautiful and healthy ecosystems that thrive in the Sonoran Desert.
Climate Change is Real: Tucsonans are already seeing the effects of increased annual temperatures and decreased rainfall. Water rates are increasing while water supplies are decreasing. Water intensive, non-native plants that once thrived in the Tucson basin are now dead or in severe distress. The old ways of landscaping are no longer adequate, and, in many ways, they are detrimental to the overall health of the Tucson basin and its residents.
At EcoSense we see this threat as an opportunity, an opportunity to re-imagine what a healthy Tucson landscape should look like. The good news is that we don’t have to look far for inspiration! We are surrounded by an amazingly beautiful and diverse ecosystem. Rather than reinventing the wheel, we analyze the components that make these natural systems so resilient and implement them in our client’s yards and common spaces.
Rainwater As an Asset: On average, Tucson gets 11” of rainfall a year. In such a xeric climate it is incredibly important that our limited water is used as effectively as possible. That is why our #1 goal is to create a “zero run-off property.” Every drop of water that falls on your site should stay on your site and be used to support your landscape goals. We accomplish this primarily with passive rainwater harvesting basins. These basins collect, infiltrate, and store rainwater in the soil, where it can be accessed by our plants and used to build healthier soil.
Growing Shade Is Fundamental: Getting shade in the right place is vital to the overall health and enjoyment of our landscapes. Our native Tucson basin trees increase nitrogen levels and break up compacted soils; provide food and habitat for wildlife; act as a screen for privacy, wind, noise, and dust; passively cool our homes and reduce energy bills; filter CO2 emissions; and create a nurse environment that other desert-adapted plants can thrive in. Not to mention they create a shady, serene, and inviting environment that draws us out of our homes and into our landscapes. And if all of that is not enough, mature shade trees can increase the resale value of your home by up to 15%. Coupling our native trees with passive rainwater harvesting techniques ensures accelerated growth rates while minimizing municipal water inputs.
Minimize Reliance on Irrigation: It isn’t hard to find someone with a horror story about their irrigation system - leaks costing hundreds-to-thousands of dollars, weekends spent chasing and repairing leaks, replacement systems that dig up and destroy entire landscapes - the list goes on and on. That is why EcoSense designs landscapes that do not rely on supplemental watering once established. We accomplish this with careful passive rainwater harvesting planning and water budgeting to ensure our landscapes can thrive on normal rainfall alone. We also use hardy succulents and targeted seed blends that don’t require irrigation for establishment.
BUT WHAT IF THE CLIMATE IS BROKEN AND WE DON’T GET AVERAGE RAINFALL?!?!
Well crap… you got us there… so as a backup we do offer a couple of work arounds:
Installation of a high-quality irrigation system that utilizes leak prevention measures like master valves, increased filtration, and more robust materials to decrease the likelihood and severity of leaks. Ideally these systems are only used for the first 2-3 years of landscape establishment, but they are designed to last 20+ years with minimal inputs.
Unconventional, simple irrigation techniques using ollas and/or rainwater tank-fed, gravitybased irrigation systems.
And lastly, resilient planting strategies using native trees, hardy succulents, and diverse seed blends that limit hand-watering to trees alone and only in the warmest months of the year.
Less-Is-More Maintenance: A well-intentioned maintenance provider may be doing unintentional damage to your landscape. Many of the “maintenance” techniques we see being implemented in landscapes around town are in fact detrimental to the overall health of our plants and ecosystems. These include the application of unneeded herbicides; pruning of shrubs into unrecognizable shapes; nonselective pruning and topping of trees; overwatering and ill-conceived watering schedules; unnecessary fertilizer applications; removal of non-invasive understory plants; and removal of natural detritus that would otherwise act as a fertilizer and mulch for your plants.
These practices disrupt the natural systems that have been working in the Sonoran Desert for the past 9,000 (ish) years. Part of this shift away from unhealthy landscape practices of the past should include a new perspective on the amount of energy we put into our landscape maintenance moving forward. This includes a recognition and appreciation of these natural systems, and an understanding of a less-is-more approach.
So There It Is: Our philosophy in an 800-word nutshell. We have been and continue to be inspired by others who have the same ethos and goals as we do - Greg Corman, Andrew D’Arezzo, Brad Lancaster, Mark Ragel, Scott Calhoun, Nicole Casebeer, Watershed Management Group, Tucson Clean & Beautiful, and countless other individuals and organizations who recognize the realities of climate change and are focused on reducing those impacts for Tucsonans. We will continue to adapt and evolve our practices to keep pace with new ideas, initiatives, techniques, and technologies. If these core principles aligned with your own, then we would love the opportunity to work with you!